despite flying 18 hours {total travel time? over 24 hours house to hotel.} the hubby and i arrived in singapore feeling pretty okay. yesterday {saturday here}, we went to chinatown, where we gawked at cheaply made merch, crashed a traditional wedding {oops} at the sri mariamman temple, and marveled at the 100 buddhas lining the walls at the buddha tooth relic & museum. we rounded out the day with a delicious chinese meal capped off with cold aloe vera for desert.

today, sunday for us, we went to the botanical gardens {amazing! that’s us with a banana tree–all those little tiny green things are baby bananas!} and ate dim sum with friends, where we bravely consumed jellyfish {not bad}, chicken feet {actually quite good} and a number of other delicious things we’ve had before {though never quite as good as this}.

tonight we’re off to the riverfront to get in on some lunar new year action. so far no naps, which i consider a major personal feat. usually jet lag just kills me, but i seem to be hanging in there.

• gosh it feels like the flurry of pre-christmas activity just ended…and here i am looking for spring shows to be a part of. first up is the penelope lane boutique in los alamitos, ca. there’ll be loads of cool vendors there {just check out their blog!} including yours truly.
• i’ll be officially putting my shop on vacation mode today as i finish my last minute preparations for heading off to singapore and cambodia. do you ever notice how those “last minute” things take forever?! ugh. but i’m super psyched about my trip.
• i saw bathing suits and sundresses at target the other day on my way to the travel-sized section for travel-sized goodies {a secret thrill of mine is to have everything in miniature. ocd, i know}. isn’t it still january? just checking.
• right now i’m really digging valentine’s day cards by the oatmeal and the cute ones over at whit & whistle, especially the bee vomit one. just my kind of sweet, twisted humor.
• soon i’ll get you some free printables for cards of your own featuring my new photoshop faux letterpress skills and some cute graphics from the graphics fairy. {do you know about her? she’s awesome.}

that’s it for now. wish me luck filling up my small shampoo bottles and keeping my cool on my unbearably long flight. i’m *soooo* gonna need it.

fyi: this is my year. i’m kicking ass and taking names.

i’m a dragon. and i will be taking full advantage of this lunar year. {how cool is it that i’ll be in asia during the fifteen day celebration of the new year?! totally unplanned.} but i digress. i have big plans for this year. business and personal plans of epic proportions {like r.o.u.s.es but a lot less gross}.

just so ya know.

{hey, want to get some of these sweet hi-rez digital polaroid frames for your very own? check out fuzzimo. they’ll even show you how to use them in photoshop. oh, and they have other cool stuff, too.}

lotus sunrise by trey ratcliff

i never go on trips. except that last summer i went to alaska, next week i’m going to singapore and cambodia, and in two months i’m hiking the grand canyon with my brother. i swear, i never travel.

picture by tommy rhodes {11 year old!}

i remember when we were planning our trip to singapore and cambodia. seems so long ago, but now we’re taking off next week. eek! i haven’t even thought about what to pack. i haven’t put the mail on hold. {though we did find someone to take care of the dogs. priorities, you know?}

prong tree by clip works {on flickr}

i promise you some pictures of my own after i return. i’ll be putting the shops on vacation mode and checking out. not sure what we’ll be doing in singapore, but we’re making a special trip to cambodia to see the beautiful old temples at angkor wat, where all these pictures are from. i have a short and simple wish list:

1. visit the bukit timah nature reserve in singapore {don’t look the monkeys in the eye}. //  2. elephant ride in angkor wat with a visit to the elephant farm. // 3. maybe one of those pedicures where the fishies nibble at your feet. // 4. eat fabulous food. // 5. remember not to jaywalk or spit while in singapore.

my partner in crime

my brother left this morning for a backpacking trip after spending over a month at my house. you would think that having an extra person in a tiny house could get on the nerves, but not when he cooks and cleans without being asked. {yes, he’s single.} for example: last night i came home from work to the delicious smells of homemade meatballs cooking in the oven. last week i came home to find that he had vacuumed most of the house {something i had planned on doing}. not man-clean, clean-clean. oh, and he helped us clear out the garage, paint, re-organize, and re-hang the doors. yep. he’s a keeper.

plus, he’s super fun to hang out with.

i’m feeling pretty bummed.

the good news? he and i are joining up in a couple of months for a 100 mile backpacking trip through the grand canyon. he promises not to leave me too far behind.

thank you for letting us do what we love to do.

a big thank you for making 2011 a successful year for dogwood & poppy. whether you bought from me at a craft fair, a home show, or online, thank you, thank you, thank you. without your support it would just be me in my studio. you make it fun. thanks.

graphic found here and modified in photoshop.

just a little pat on the back for today. a little nudge to remind you that there is a you shaped hole in the universe. go find it and fill it.

this post was inspired by 10 commandments for a good life over at marc and angel: a good read early in the year! want to learn how to do the letterpress effect in photoshop? check out this great tutorial from tut candy.

since we last talked, it has been full-on crazy town at our house. my mom and brother were/are in town and as fun as it is to see family {no, really, i actually like mine}, it’s also total chaos. add to that the general holiday hubbub and the fact that the hubby and i hemorrhaged so much money it was like suze orman performing surgery, and you get the picture.

lucky sliced his foot good and needed some very expensive stitches. our car got new tires and a load of other stuff. {and as much as i complained about the cost? it’s like driving a new car.} molly got pancreatitis. on new year’s eve.

at one point, we had six adults, one baby, and three dogs in our two bedroom, one bathroom house. inflatable mattresses everywhere! and yes, you heard me, we survived despite having just one toilet {though i spent some anxious moments holding it}. it’s a good thing we all liked each other.

on new year’s day we emptied out our entire messy garage and painted the walls and reorganized. we re-hung the sliding garage doors that were dragging on the ground. it’s as much fun as you’re imagining, but with the satisfaction that comes from doing a job you’ve been putting off since you moved in.

also? i took my laptop back to apple for repairs {yes, again} and they gave me a brand spanking new one. just. like. that. i had my first sale at {not so sweet} sadie. my brother is still here, using his amazing cooking skills to feed us very, very well.

after all the excitement, i could use a little down time. and hopefully soon i’ll be getting more stuff in the shop{s}!

however you celebrate today {or don’t}, have a happy one. i’ll be stuffing my face and sharing stories with my family.

don’t you love this image? get the free printable here from the lovely lemon squeezy.

this is my favorite part of the holidays! wrapping up gifts to make them look all pretty. the gifts inside….meh, but the wrapping? the best.

just kidding, the inside’s good, too. but after you spent all that time looking for or making that special gift for that special someone, you want the presentation to stand up to the goods. if you’re looking for loads of good ideas, check out my pinterest board dedicated to the wrapping of loveliness. and while you’re on pinterest, check out the other great ideas!

and of course, check out these sweet free printable tags, all rounded up for you by the lovely ez of creature comforts!